Jim Tamm, a
workplace expert specializing in building collaborative work
environments (www.radicalcollaboration.com),
is co-author of Radical Collaboration (HarperBusiness,
New York, 2006).

Are you stymied
by the collaboration void in your workplace? Wonder why, when
you’ve struggled to hire the best and the brightest, tempers
flare and productivity often grinds to a halt?

Your workplace
may be a “Red Zone”—an environment where turf is guarded and
defensiveness abounds.

Red Zone
organizations are made up of individuals who are short on “Green
Zone” qualities such as trust, optimism, and goodwill. When a
project fizzles or fails in a Red Zone workplace, people turn to
shame and blame—focusing not on what went wrong, but on who
did wrong.

No fun

A Red Zone
organization isn’t a fun place to work. People aren’t excited
to be there. Most everyone favors victory over solutions. And
they waste more time and energy on self-preservation than they
spend on bottom-line priorities.

To stand a
chance of keeping their stars, Red Zone organizations often
dangle carrots such as bigger-and-better pay, perks, or
bennies. Still, productivity and morale suffer because Red Zone
attitudes fog the corporate culture.

Greener
pastures

A Green Zone
environment, in contrast, is a fun place to work.
Employees work together to pursue a shared vision. They value
collaboration and get the job done with a strong sense of
teamwork and excellence.

Sure, Green
Zone qualities can’t save a company that makes lousy products or
offers crummy customer service. Yet, studies show when all else
is equal, Green Zone organizations enjoy long-term profitability
and growth, while their Red Zone counterparts suffer in all
areas. Some companies even

“Red Zone”
themselves right out of business.

Changing
colors—and cultures

So can Red Zone
organizations move into the Green Zone? And can employees at all
levels learn to collaborate? Absolutely!

Collaboration
isn’t magic. It’s a mind-set and a skill-set—both of
which can be learned—that can make a big difference to a
company’s bottom line.

Think win-win.
Foster a nondefensive attitude among employees, and reward
people who care about others’ interests and needs as much as
their own. Mutual success is the hallmark of positive,
long-term relationships—and living and working in the Green
Zone.

Speak the
truth. Dishonesty poisons the workplace. If you’re serious about
changing your corporate culture, you must speak—and vow to
listen to—the truth. Green Zoners are open, honest, and “out
there” with their intentions, observations, and feelings—and
they receive the same candor in return. They’re also excellent
listeners—behavior you must model if you want others to follow
suit.

Be
accountable. There’s no room for shame or blame in the Green Zone.
Promote a culture in which people take responsibility for their
performance and their relationships. Encourage everyone to
choose to change what’s not working. And recognize employees
who focus on solutions.

Be
self-aware—and aware of others. Work hard to
understand your thoughts, feelings, emotions, intentions, and
behaviors—and work just as hard to understand those around you.
Create an environment where people feel free to ask what’s up
when they don’t “get” someone else’s attitude or behavior.

Learn from
conflict. All relationships bump up against conflict once in a
while—especially when deadlines and other pressures loom. The
key is to use the conflict to learn and grow. Focus on
understanding everyone’s underlying interests, then seek
mutually beneficial solutions. When you hit a wall, take a
time-out, consider what’s going on with you and those around
you, and then start over.